Kyiv and Moscow both reported widespread aerial attacks on their territories Tuesday morning, escalating tensions in the ongoing conflict. At least three people were killed in Russia’s Rostov region, while Ukraine reported at least two fatalities as strikes targeted energy infrastructure and the capital city.
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The exchange of strikes comes as Russia rejected a European counter-proposal to a peace plan put forward by the United States, a plan Moscow has characterized as largely in its favor. Russia had previously threatened to intensify bombardments if Kyiv did not accept the 28-point proposal from Washington.
A virtual meeting of countries within the “Coalition of Volunteers” supporting Ukraine is scheduled for Tuesday.
In Russia, Rostov region Governor Yuri Slyusar reported on Telegram that at least three people died and eight were injured in an attack on the port city of Taganrog and the neighboring Neklinovsky district, located on the Sea of Azov.
Authorities in the Krasnodar region, along the Black Sea, also reported a large-scale Ukrainian aerial attack on multiple cities.
“Last night, the territory of Krasnodar was subjected to one of the most intense and massive attacks by the Kyiv regime,” regional Governor Veniamin Kondratiev wrote on Telegram. “Six residents of the region were injured, and at least 20 homes in five municipalities were damaged.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have intercepted 249 Ukrainian drones overnight, marking one of the highest numbers since the conflict began.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy reported a “massive combined enemy attack on energy infrastructure.” The development underscores Russia’s continued targeting of Ukraine’s power grid as winter approaches, leading to frequent power outages. Russia has been systematically attacking Ukrainian power plants and substations since launching its invasion in February 2022, and this year, strikes have expanded to include gas facilities.
Ukraine has regularly targeted oil depots, refineries, and other facilities within Russia in response.
Water and Electricity Disrupted in Kyiv
In Kyiv, multiple explosions were heard early Tuesday morning, according to AFP journalists on the scene, following a country-wide air raid alert. Authorities reported at least two deaths and six injuries in two residential buildings that were hit.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that water and power distribution in the capital had been disrupted.
The latest escalation follows Russia’s rejection Monday of European proposals to amend the U.S. peace plan.
“We have learned about the existence of a European plan, which, at first glance, is not constructive at all and does not suit us,” Yuri Ushakov, a diplomatic advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, told the state-owned Tass agency.
Emergency talks involving Ukrainian, American, and European representatives were held Sunday in Geneva based on the plan presented by the U.S. president, which Moscow has welcomed. The plan reportedly includes the cession of Ukrainian territories and is seen by some as a potential surrender by Kyiv.
According to a high-ranking source familiar with the discussions, the United States pressured Ukraine to accept the proposals during the talks. However, a White House spokesperson dismissed the idea that Donald Trump and his administration would favor Russia as “completely fallacious.”
The “Coalition of Volunteers,” comprised of Ukraine’s allies, will convene virtually Tuesday to further discuss the American plan. “We know that if there are no elements of deterrence” in a peace plan for Ukraine, “the Russians will return and break their promise,” French President Emmanuel Macron warned Saturday ahead of the meeting.
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged progress Monday, he maintained that “much more” is needed to achieve a “real peace” with Russia and end the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.
